You can hinder me, but you'll never stop me

Chapter 12: Brother and Sister

There were a million and one things she'd rather do as what she's about to do. She knows she has to, that she owes him an explanation at the very least. She sighs. She runs a hand through her hair and gathers all her courage. She's just going to walk up there and ask if they can talk. It shouldn't be so hard, right?

Without thinking, she gets up and walks over, before her courage sinks into her shoes again. "Charlie?" Her voice rings out clear and sharp. Better as she expected, she supposed.

She takes that statement back when he jumps nearly a meter in the air. Damn, had she forgotten to make noise while walking again? She should pay more attention to that.

Charlie turns around. "J-Jennifer! I didn't see you there."

Not knowing what to say, she just spews out the words that she'd been reciting in her head the entire morning. "Could we talk? Somewhere private?" She swallows, hoping he won't reject the offer.

Her fears were unjust it seems since Charlie gets the biggest smile on his face since she left home. "Of course! Just a sec." He quite literally throws his book shut and writing supplies on it in a messy heap. "Where are we going?" He asks, bright-eyed and no hesitation in his eyes about going somewhere secluded with her, despite all the rumors going around about her being a psycho who's trying to kill people.

"I think I know a place." She moves to the portrait entrance. "You coming?"

They walk through a few hallways before she stops at a seemingly random painting. Charlie's confusion turns greater when Jennifer says one word out loud. "Pineapple."

'Okay so, Charlie thought, maybe the nice people at the Ministery were right about her possibly going a bit crazy without other people...' the thought was cut off when the painting swung away to reveal a doorway to an empty classroom.

"Okay, I've got to ask. How on earth did you find this place?"

She smirks. He finds it suited her a lot better as the soft smile she had on most days in the past. "Would you believe me if I said that it was because Neville and I were having an... disagreement on whether or not pineapple was a suitable topping for a pizza?"

The thought made him smile a bit. He was glad that at least someone wanted to still be friends with his sister. And despite the fact that most people thought of Neville as a bit of a loser, anyone who was good to his baby sister was okay in his books. He'd lost a lot of friends to that already. Not that those people really mattered, talking smack about her ad then expecting him to still hang out with them. They were the losers in his opinion.

"So uh, what did you want to talk about?" He takes a seat on one of the workbenches, wringing his hands.

"Well, I wanted to apologize for being rather mean to you. For the past few years." She winces at her own words. That was what she wanted to say, but it was perhaps a bit blunt.

All her doubts faded away when Charlie's mouth dropped, his mouth speechlessly opening before turning into the greatest smile she'd seen on him in a long while. "What?"

She shuffles a bit to the side, "I'm sorry. For everything."

He gets up and pulls her into a hug, "You have nothing to be sorry for.  I'm the one who should be sorry." He pulls away, and there are tears in his eyes. "I should have been there for you."

She rubs her own eyes, noting that they are wet as Charlie's. Traitors. "It wasn't..."

"No. It was. And I should have." He snorts, his nose was running. "After you ran away... a really nice lady of the Ministry explained to me why it was wrong what we did. What it could do to you." He starts to lean back, but Jay grabs his hand, making him stop. "I felt terrible, that we did that to you." Tears are now freely streaming down his cheeks, and his voice cracks. "I thought you hated me. For doing that with mom, and dad."

"No. No, don't think that." She pulled him back in a hug. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't know. Mom and dad are to blame here. I thought that you were angry with me. For pretty much ruining the family like that."

He snorts. "If it took you being so unhappy, then it wasn't worth it. Not in the slightest."

She'd never admit it to anyone, but that just filled her with warmth, knowing that he at least understood a bit. That at least her brother could accept her as she really was.

"Besides, running off to, where?"

She giggles "Spain."

"Completely over the top. I love it. True Gryffindor there." She can hear the laughter in his voice and can't keep it in, laughing and crying at the same time. Charlie joins in for a bit, before sobering again.

"Merlin, mom had the meltdown to end all meltdowns after you were taken by the Ministry. I thought she was going to kill one of the Aurors at some point."

Jay giggles a bit, imagining Lily red in the face, screeching to an Auror. "I imagine that was quite the sight."

"The lady from the Ministry also mentioned that you may not want to come home again."

"Yeah. I really don't. I just, I can't." She sighs.

Charlie looks away for a second, chewing his lip. "They're trying to get you back home." He whispers.

Jay's eyes widen in shock, "They're what?"

"They are going to some parenting classes and once they finish, they have to sign something that makes them promise to not neglect you anymore. They'll get you back."

"NO!"

"Jenny-"

"They can't! I hate that life, so much, you have no idea." She runs her hand through her hair, trying to find a solution.

"Then just make it hell for them," Charlie suggests.

"What?"

"Jenny, we're Gryffindors! The house of the brave, and incredibly stubborn people! You ran off to Spain for Merlin's sake! They want you to be their perfect girl, right?"

"Well yeah-"

"Then just do the absolute opposite of everything. Set your closet on fire, paint everything black, cut off your hair. I don't know! Just to make them pay. I'll help if you need it." He says like it's not a big deal. And she realizes that, in fact, it isn't.

"You know," Her mischievousness swiftly sparking his own, "That might be a good plan. Make them regret ever try and get me back."

"I like that smirk sis," he says, wearing a smirk that mirrors her own, "So, what are we gonna do?"

"Oh, I know a few things. Let me get Neville, he'll want in on this."

Charlie raises an eyebrow. "Is he going to be much help?"

"Who do you think helped me glue dad's furniture to the ceiling?" She calls over her shoulder.

The laugh that follows can only be described as pure evil.

Charlie smiles. Things were going to be okay.